Page 65 of Ghost Ribbon

Rei’s whole posture changed the instant he saw them. His soft, happy expression hardened into something protective. He stepped slightly in front of me without thinking, eyes narrowing directly at Dimitri.

“Control your gaze,” Rei said, voice clear. “You’re scaring my best friend.”

Dimitri actually looked surprised for a split second. His glare faltered, then softened - barely, but it was there. The hard line of his mouth relaxed a fraction.

“Maybe don’t glue yourself to him next time,” Dimitri muttered, “and I won’t have to glare.”

Rei scoffed, but there was the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at his lips now. “Don’t be pouty.”

Dimitri’s ears actually went a little pink. He opened his mouth, closed it, then muttered something under his breath.

But Alexei hadn’t looked away once. His stare was still locked on Rei, and the intensity of it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I started trembling. Not from fear for myself - I could handle Alexei’s games, his possessiveness, even the terrifying way he looked at me sometimes. But the idea of him doing something to Rei? That was where my limit was.

I stepped in front of Rei before I could second-guess it, putting myself squarely between them.

Alexei’s eyebrow arched. For the first time since we had spotted them, his gaze flicked down to me.

Rei’s hand found mine from behind. He gently tugged me back beside him, not letting me stay in front like a human shield. “Marco,” he murmured.

Dimitri had been watching the whole exchange. He grabbed Alexei’s wrist suddenly, yanking him a step back. “Move,” he said. “You’re being weird even for you.”

Alexei didn’t flinch. Didn’t even glance at his cousin. His eyes stayed on me as he finally let Dimitri pull him forward. When he passed us, he slowed just enough to look down at me. The gaze was intense, heated, full of warnings. It sent a full-body shiver down my spine.

Then he was gone, walking away. Rei let out a long breath, shoulders relaxing. “He’s so rude,” he huffed, glaring at his retreating back. “What’s his problem?”

“Don’t mind him,” Dimitri said, voice gruff but noticeably softer than usual. “He’s weird. Gets like that sometimes.”

Rei crossed his arms, still glaring. “You also do the same thing.”

“No I don’t,” he muttered.

Rei raised an eyebrow. “Yes you do.”

“I don’t!” Dimitri insisted. “Only when I’m jealous. You know I’m sensitive when it comes to you, my little fairy. I need validation or my heart breaks.”

Rei’s cheeks went bright pink at that. He tried to hide it by looking away, but the blush was obvious, spreading down his neck. “You’re impossible,” he mumbled, but there was no real heat behind it. If anything, he sounded a little flustered.

I stood there between them, still a little shaky from the whole encounter, but a tiny, traitorous part of me almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous they both were. Dimitri the terrifying heir who could probably snap someone in half pouting because his “fairy” called him out. And Rei, who normally stood up to anyone, blushing like a schoolgirl.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

A: Cute little shield act.

The rest of the day passed in a strange blur. Rei and I had the same classes after lunch, so we stuck together the whole time. It felt good to have him beside me again. We whispered during lectures, passed stupid little notes back and forth like we used to, and he kept sneaking me strawberry gummies from his pocket.

By the time the final bell rang, I was smiling more than I had in days. Rei walked me all the way to the main doors, chattering about some ridiculous story Dimitri had told him last night. I listened, nodding and giggling at the right parts, even though part of me still felt guilty about how much I was hiding from him.

At the entrance, Dimitri was already waiting, leaning against one of the stone pillars with his arms crossed.

Rei turned to me with an apologetic little smile. “I have to go. I’ll text you later, okay?”

I nodded, trying not to let the tiny flicker of disappointment show. “Yeah, of course. Be safe.”

He pulled me into a quick hug, then jogged over to Dimitri. The taller boy immediately wrapped an arm around Rei’s shoulders and steered him toward the parking lot without a word, though I caught the way Dimitri glanced back at me once.

I watched them go for a second, then headed out to the main parking lot myself. The afternoon sun was warm on my face, and I was still half-smiling from the day with Rei when I spotted the familiar sleek black car near the edge of the lot.